1192 words today. I feel…well, triumphant, actually. Except that I think I’m going to need to find a doctor to be a beta reader to tell me how far off-base I actually am in some of the stuff I’m writing. Or else accept that any medical readers are going to roll their eyes and tell me that I’m an idiot.

Still, writing today was maddening and I am really pleased that I managed 1000 words. Ooh, also found a fun house plan that I’m modeling my current location on. And yeah, that took a lot of time that was probably not worth the effort, but it’s always easier for me when I have a really solid mental image of where my characters are working.

Puzzle though I might, I cannot figure out how to make my climax work. I discovered a huge plot-hole a few weeks ago, and spent a fair amount of time patching it, but honestly, it’s the kind of plot-hole that will destroy your story’s suspension. A little too much shock absorption! (Ha, obscure puns amuse me.)

Ahem, anyway, I figured out today that I could fix it the same way I fixed an earlier plot-hole, and it would be much better, much stronger. Less like a patch of asphalt and more like repaving. But unfortunately, it means re-writing at least two chapters. *sigh* And I think I need to do those rewrites before doing much more, because the story will make more sense if I’ve got those done. So today I’m debating going back and revising or just plowing forward, knowing that changes to what I’ve already written will be happening later. Decisions, decisions.

On a random other note, I saw Pacific Rim today. R hated it, said it was totally stupid, but I actually sort of loved it. I’d call it gloriously hokey, truly an old-fashioned Godzilla movie, complete with mad scientists and ridiculous technology and plots that make absolutely no sense. But a spectacular old-fashioned Godzilla movie, merged with awe-inspiring special effects. I laughed quite a lot and couldn’t take it seriously. It definitely had problems, first of which is that it was many movies merged in one; the story of the brave Australian, marching off to certain doom with a tear in his eye for the family he left behind just did not blend well with the two scientists teaming up to read an alien embryo brain. Ha. Even just writing that out made me laugh again. But it amused me greatly.

(Cross-posting to Wynded Words, since I wound up digressing so!)

So my friend Tim read and reviewed my last chapter on fictionpress. A really great review, thoughtful and also supportive, the kind of review where you know the reader actually read the chapter and enjoyed it. He ending with something like, “And I want the next one. On Saturday. Grin.” Because he knew that was so, so, so unlikely. I’ve been producing chapters at the rate of that drop of viscous liquid that took some guys in Scotland forty years to see.

It worked, though. Totally motivated me and today was a satisfying 1200 word day, not including the 300 word conversation I wrote that will come later in the book. That happened when I got stuck and refused to give up without finishing 1000 words. I figured I’d just write where my brain was, work it in later.

Good writing day! It also included margaritas, I wonder if I could declare those things connected?

Finished off Ch13. I wish I could claim 1000 words, but it was probably 200 new and a few dozen revised.

Then realized that I didn’t quite know what would happen next. Spent a lovely few hours plotting in my head, but no real time writing. But I’m okay with that, because I do know what happens next now. The real words can happen tomorrow.

I’ve been working on this chapter for a week now and I’m finally getting somewhere. Last Friday, I wrote over 1000 words, felt great about it, but on Monday I hated it and started over. Grr…

Yesterday the words were dull and lifeless, so today I’m procrastinating. But I’m going to aim to make it another 1000 word day. Will update later to report on success or failure!